When the New York Yankees extended a qualifying offer to Trent Grisham in November, general manager Brian Cashman described it as a “50-50” decision. Cashman said he would not have been surprised if Grisham had chosen either to accept or decline the offer.
With spring training approaching, Cashman expressed satisfaction that Grisham accepted the one-year, $22.025 million contract, especially given developments in this offseason’s free-agent market.
“At this point, that $22 million looks like a bargain, the way the free-agent market got away from everybody,” Cashman said recently on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio. “We’re really happy that he chose to stay with us. Hopefully, he can replicate what he did last year.”
Grisham, 29, is coming off his most productive offensive season. Over 143 games in 2025, he posted a .235 batting average with a .348 on-base percentage and .464 slugging percentage (125 OPS+). He also set career highs in plate appearances (581), at-bats (494), runs (87), hits (116), home runs (34), RBIs (74), and walks (82).
Reflecting on his improvement after a difficult 2024 season—when he batted .190/.290/.385 over 76 games following his acquisition from San Diego—Grisham credited better mental focus for his turnaround.
“I like when I can get my mind to this level,” Grisham said during the season. “It’s a lot of fun to just experience that, learn from that and produce that on a nightly basis. … It’s what I’ve always dreamed about and thought I was capable of. To do it is a whole another thing, but it doesn’t surprise me.”
Cashman noted that while Grisham was known for defense as a two-time Gold Glove Award winner with San Diego in 2020 and 2022, the team saw potential for him to improve offensively.
“We had tried to acquire him for a number of years out of San Diego,” Cashman said. “We felt that there was some upside in his offensive profile. Everybody knew what the defensive side was.
“When we acquired him as part of the Soto deal, he was really supposed to play and rest guys three days a week. But the way the ’24 season played out, Boonie ran the ‘A’ lineup out every day because nobody got hurt. That carried us all the way to a World Series.”
Following 2024, Cashman explained that offering Grisham an arbitration salary—a $5 million deal representing a pay cut—was difficult given an unexpected drop in defensive performance (-2 OAA and -11 DRS) during 2025 due partly to injury.
“I think overall, you still watch him play the position and you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s a real center fielder,’” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said regarding Grisham’s defense. “It’s not unrealistic that he gets back to being more in line with that Gold Glove-caliber guy with better health.”
This offseason saw New York sign Cody Bellinger on a five-year contract worth $162.5 million after pursuing him throughout winter discussions. Cashman described Bellinger as “a Swiss Army knife” who offers flexibility both at bat and across multiple positions including all three outfield spots and first base.
The addition of Bellinger alongside Grisham could reduce playing time for younger prospects Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones; before Bellinger’s return became official Boone had anticipated competition between them for left field during spring training.
Giancarlo Stanton missed much of last year due to tennis elbow injuries affecting both arms; those issues remain unresolved heading into this season which may result in increased use of Stanton at designated hitter.
The Yankees will consider whether Domínguez or Jones should start as bench players or spend more time developing in Minor League assignments—or potentially be involved in trade talks—depending on roster needs through spring training.
“In terms of everyday spots, we’ve got players locked in,” Cashman said. “But you guys all know how, unfortunately, the twists and turns of getting through Spring Training and playing out a regular season.
“Guys go down and, with the outfield positioning or the DH spot, that’s four different spots that at any day are at risk for injury. So they’re an injury away from playing every day with the club. We’ll see how it all plays out, but we have a lot of depth.”
